Nursing Home Abuse
Have you or a loved one been abused or neglected at a nursing home? Our Personal Injury Manager, Jonathan Harvey, has personally photographed and reviewed hundreds of Nursing Home matters while previously employed by one of the state’s most prolific Nursing Home Litigation firms. He was hired by The Law Office of Peter David Brown in part, to lead the Firm’s Investigation of Nursing Home neglect, negligence, and abuse matters.
Do you know the signs of abuse?
There are several forms of abuse that can occur in a nursing home. Below are some the forms and signs that commonly occur in nursing home abuse and neglect cases:
- Lack of basic care
- Bedsores, lesions, or rashes on the skin
- improper level of medications (too much, not enough, or any at all)
- Dehydration or malnourishment
- Ongoing medical problem that was ignored by the staff
- The smell of urine or visible feces on a person’s body (including the delayed changing of adult diapers/undergarments)
- Improper safety precautions (ex: restraints, locks on doors, or security of the overall facility)
- Appropriate physical and/or mental therapy
- Evidence of marks, scratches, scrapes, lacerations, swelling, and/or bruising on the face or body with the only excuse being that “the resident falls a lot”
- If the resident appears to be noticeably nervous, reclusive, or upset when a staff member is around them. Especially, if it appears that the staff member does not leave the presence of the resident when outside visitors are with the resident.
- Any pushing, slapping, hitting, unnecessary use of restraint, or prolonged use of restraint.
- Any use or denial of food as a form of punishment
- When an individual participates in a sexual act with a resident in which the resident did not consent. This includes instances where the resident might be heavily medicated or incapable of giving consent.
- Abuse of this nature can often begin with banter; escalate to inappropriate touching, forced nudity, rape, sodomy, forced sex, explicit photographs, or pornography.
- Bullying
- Physical threats
- Sexual threats
- Harassment
- Isolation of the resident
- Ignoring or neglecting the resident
- Babying the resident
- Signs of withdrawal, depression, denial, wild storytelling, panic, frantic behavior, or unprovoked rage.
If the caregiver in charge of the resident’s finances exploits their position by:
- Using the resident’s funds for their own use
- Cashing checks without the knowledge of the resident
- Forging the resident’s signature in order to obtain the funds
- Coercing or tricks the resident into giving them valuable personal items such as rings, watches, or other jewelry
- Coerces or trucks the resident into executing a legal document such as a Will or Power of Attorney
- *This is often itself a crime, such as Financial Transaction Card Fraud, in addition to abuse of the resident
- If an employee has or is suspected of having a history or current abuse of drugs and/or alcohol
- If the employee has an extensive record of accused abuse complaints
- If the employee’s version of an incident do not seem to match the resident’s version of events
